Creating a truly clean living room doesn’t have to take hours every week. How you organize the room can make it a breeze to clean. Let’s consider the cleaning needs and organizational tools for making a lastingly clean living room.
Start with a Deep Cleaning
Vacuum, mop, dust, and polish. Drag the rugs outside and beat them clean. Reposition them on the floor and anchor them in place with furnishings.
Clean the furniture by vacuuming it and spraying it with Febreeze or a similar scent disperser. The typical sofa has an estimated average carbon footprint of 10.1 gallons of gas, according to My Tool Shed, so keep it spotless and eke many years of use out of it. Collect the inevitable change in the furniture in a pretty jar.
Add Storage Shelves at Shoulder Height or Higher
Place knickknacks up high, so they do not take up space. Going vertical with storage lets you streamline belongings without needing to move them to another room. Consider invisible vertical shelves for books to organize stacks of books into a differently shaped bookshelf.
Collect Items on a Tray
Create a small collection on a tray using small items you want to leave at seating height. Place the tray on the coffee table or a butler or buffet table. The tray organizer makes them look neater.
Upgrade Your Coffee Table
Choose a coffee table with storage space built right into it. A lidded coffee table and storage ottomans offer extra spots for storing throw pillows, blankets, and throws. No one will know what you stashed in them or even that they open unless you tell them.
Use Pre-Mixed Wall Putty to Close Holes
When you spot a tiny hole in your drywall, close it up using pre-mixed wall putty to keep rodents out. A mouse needs only a hole the size of a nickel to squeeze through while a rat needs only a half-dollar-sized hole, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Closing these holes quickly can help keep your home cleaner and more sanitary.
Corral Electrical Cords in Organizers
Most homes use many small electrical appliances that use 15-amp circuits, writes The Spruce. These many small appliances plug into wall outlets or power strips. Use cord organizers to keep cords neat.
Define Space with Furniture
Ditch the cluttered look of your living room by creating a few use spaces. Divide the room using furniture to define the spaces. Create at least one for conversation, one for reading, and one for viewing television.
Repurpose Bedroom or Dining Room Furnishings
A dresser from the bedroom offers a great way to organize living room items, such as extra throw pillows, blankets, throws, etc. Store CDs and DVDs in their drawers. A dining room buffet serves the same purpose and can help divide multi-use rooms.
Use Baskets to Make Cleaning Easier
Place one or two large, matching baskets in the living room for catch-all storage. Kids can toss their toys into one of them. Dump magazines and paperbacks into the other basket. This method lets everyone pitch in on keeping the living room clean.
Getting Started with Living Room Cleaning
Shop for your organizers, baskets, and bookshelves a few days before your deep cleaning day. Shipping delays won’t put you behind schedule that way. Set aside one day to clean and organize the room fully. Clean first, then add your new storage, and organize.
Once everything has a spot and gets placed there, you only need to dust and vacuum to keep up the room. Vacuuming becomes easier because so much has moved off of the floor and up onto shelves and trays. Everyone tosses toys, books, and magazines into baskets, keeping everything organized.